In 2023, Beat Gerber will end his career at SC Bern after 1,270 appearances. But now the 42-year-old is being deprived of a game.
Beat Gerber says goodbye to the fans of SC Bern. – keystone
The most important thing in brief
- Next week, HCD icon Andres Ambühl should become the new record player.
- He overtakes SCB veteran Beat Gerber, who is deducted a game.
- Over 20 years ago, a “phantom game” crept into Gerber’s statistics.
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Beat “Bidu” Gerber shaped SC Bern for two decades. He is a six-time Swiss champion and holds a league record with 1,270 games in the National League. At least that’s what the numbers are when he ends his career in spring 2023 after 20 professional seasons.
Gerber is likely to be replaced as the record player by Davos cult striker Andres Ambühl as early as next week. “Büehli” will then also become the sole record holder with 1270 games. There is a strange story behind it.
The “eternal” Andres Ambühl still plays for HCD. – keystone
Numbers don’t lie, as the saying goes. Nevertheless, it is worth taking a closer look at certain statistics. When the Keystone-SDA news agency set about updating the list of the 1000 club in August because of Ambühl’s upcoming record, it came across a curiosity.
In the league, Gerber is reported to have played 1,270 games. In his own statistics, however, the quiet challenger appears at the top with “only” 1269 matches.
“Mistake” was over 20 years ago
An initial analysis shows: The 2001/02 season made the difference. At that time, Gerber still wore the jersey of his youth club SC Langnau. Over Christmas he played with Switzerland at the U20 World Cup in the Czech Republic, in a team with Andres Ambühl.
In the publicly accessible statistics platform “elitesprospect” that is widely known in ice hockey circles, Geber is listed with 39 qualifying games for Langnau. In another statistic by Urs Keel there are only 38.
The young Beat Gerber (left) in the SCL Tigers jersey. – keystone
Keel was formerly the Ice Hockey Association’s official statistician. He still supplies Keystone-SDA with valuable data today.
The agency hires Keel to verify the number. And at the same time asks retired sports journalist Werner Haller to browse his archive.
The “Statistics Pope from the Emmental” said that he had gone through the telegrams from the 2001/02 season that were cut out of the Berner Zeitung. And I came to the following conclusion: Beat Gerber was used 28 times in 44 qualifying games. He was in the squad and on the match sheet ten times, but was not used.
In contrast to football or basketball, in ice hockey the game appears as such in the statistics. Even if a player doesn’t play for a single second. The handling is the same in handball.
“Eliteprospect” corrects the number downwards
So Haller confirms the 38 games. Keystone-SDA then confronts the National League with the facts. The communications department ensures that people trust the figures from “eliteprospect”. And that’s why I want to stick to the 1270 games.
Beat Gerber in the SC Bern jersey. – keystone
The English platform, founded in 1999, would get its data from the league, it was said. An interaction that works today – but did it also work over 20 years ago?
Keystone-SDA is skeptical, writes to “eliteprospect”, explains the case with all the details, but has not received an answer to date. But then the surprise: the statistics platform has now corrected its numbers in Beat Gerber’s profile downwards. From 39 to 38 and correspondingly from 1270 to 1269.
Beat Gerber has a game “stolen”
Now the ball is back in the National League’s court. And this time the league is giving in. After internal clarifications, it was decided to adjust the number of Beat Gerber games. The long-time defender of SC Bern has a game “stolen”.
Beat Gerber played for SC Bern for years. – keystone
The National League cannot explain how the phantom game found its way into the statistics books. However, she confirms that everything that happened before 2007 is linked to external data. Mainly those from Keel. The league therefore wants to check its data in more detail at a later date.
For now, the stage belongs to Andres Ambühl. And the “game theft” thing also has something good, at least for the Grisons and the HCD.
Do you follow the National League?
Instead of an away game in Pruntrut against Ajoie on October 12th, the “eternal Büehli” will now be able to play its record game on Thursday in the home game against SC Bern. Against the former club of the current record holder. Always with the proviso that Ambühl does not get injured, become ill or get a suspension.
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More on the topic:
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